Friday, April 13, 2012

According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.4% of surveyed children living in
the United States between the ages of 1 and 5 years have an unacceptably high level
of lead in their blood (i.e., 10 micrograms or more of lead per deciliter of blood),
which may result in learning disabilities, reduced intellectual ability,
or other problems. Poor children are at special risk because elevated
blood-lead levels are more prevalent among children from families with
lower incomes, and inadequate nutrition can increase lead absorption by the
body. Many sources of lead exposure have been eliminated or reduced, but
an important remaining source of lead exposure today is house dust
containing lead-based paint (LBP) from deteriorated or abraded surfaces of
walls, door jambs, and window sashes, or from home renovations that release
LBP. Many buildings constructed prior to 1978, when the lead content of
interior paint was restricted to current levels, still contain LBP, but
most LBP is found in homes constructed prior to 1960.

The federal Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (LBPPPA), as amended,
directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to regulate,
and authorizes funding for, the detection and control of LBP hazards in
housing that receives federal assistance. There are no federal mandates
related to LBP in privately owned housing unless it receives federal financial assistance
in some form. However, the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992
(Title X of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992; P.L. 102-550)
directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require training
and certification in LBP safe work practices for contractors engaged in
home renovations and repairs of homes constructed prior to 1978. In
addition, Title X authorizes federal grants through HUD to state and local governments
for LBP hazard reduction in privately owned housing that does not receive
federal assistance. Congress annually considers funding for these lead
hazard reduction grant programs, all of which target older (pre-1978)
housing for low-income residents.

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